US government to continue BP Deepwater Horizon case.

www.bbc.co.uk...

The link goes on to say how BP has settled a $7.8bn with the largest group of claimants but the US government still wants to press ahead with charges.

Now before we go on, please can we leave Nationalistic Pride at home and focus on the facts.

At the time of the deepwater horizon disaster I was working in Norway. Around a month after the accident we were joined by a guy who I will call 'Trev'. Trev had come to give us some advice on drilling mud handling. Over dinner one night he proceeded to tell us that he was supposed to be on THAT rig at that time but as his wife had gone into labour early he was unable to go. He was from Sweden or Norway, I forget which, but I know it was only a 1hr flight for him to get home and a lot easier than being half way around the world. As it turned out he was also very lucky.

Moving on. Trev then proceed to tell us that he had had numerous discussion with the guy sent to take his place and before the accident this guy had informed him that Haliburton and Transocean had deliberately falsified info to allow drilling to commence because BP were running such a tight schedule. It's worthy to note here he did note work for any of these company's but an independent company which deals with various aspects including surveying of pipe lines, wells, bovs, etc.

Now, although there is evidence to support the fact that BP were negligent in there approach to this situation. Haliburton and Transocean, in my eyes, are more to blame considering the Haliburton was responsible for the cement job where it all when wrong and Transoceon for the upkeep of the rig.

Haliburton Cement jobs: seekingalpha.com...

Transocean info: fuelfix.com...

So the info I gained from Trev plus all the info available online brings me to the conclusion that although BP were to fault also, there 20bn fund to help with the issue is more than enough compensation for the part they played in this disaster. Should the US be chasing Transocean and Haliburton, as well as themselves for failing to identify the clear lack of adhering to Codes of Practices by both these huge company's?

Pray, tell...

reply to post by CR4V3N


I totally agree. At the end of the day, i am glad BP got such a huge fine as they messed up. However, other parties were even more responsible and, once again, seem to have got off scot free. As such, i actually think BP should refuse to hand over any money until:

a) both Halliburton and Transocean also get huge fines
b) Similar action is enforced around the world, ie on Chevron for the Nigerian delta and for the Brazilian incidents (both fairly recent, post Deepwater Horizon).

Companies need to know that if they cause huge natural damage that they will be paying mega bucks for the clean up and compensation. It is not enough for this simply to be the case if the accident / incident happens off US shores - it has to be the same the world over.

The problem became much worse than it needed to be; because they kept trying to Cap the well instead of just plugging it; capping and plugging are two different things that people assume mean the same thing. They were trying to Cap it which would have given them a chance to re-use the well in the future; this wasted much time as oil continued to flow. If they had just plugged it the disaster wouldn't have taken nearly as long to fix; nor have been anywhere close to as bad as it was. The difference is when you Cap a well, you can reopen it for later use; when you Plug it you can't use the well again; unless you, drill into it from another spot. B.P. gets a big hall of shame award from me for that nonsense. Maybe next time; the bastards will Plug it.

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by CR4V3N

 

a) both Halliburton and Transocean also get huge fines
b) Similar action is enforced around the world, ie on Chevron for the Nigerian delta and for the Brazilian incidents (both fairly recent, post Deepwater Horizon).

Companies need to know that if they cause huge natural damage that they will be paying mega bucks for the clean up and compensation. It is not enough for this simply to be the case if the accident / incident happens off US shores - it has to be the same the world over.

Couldn't agree more, you've hit the nail right on the head!

reply to post by Darkchemistry


Not entirely true. While yes they did cap it you will see that some initial attempts where to plug and not cap.

April 20 -9:45 p.m. CDT – Gas, oil and concrete from the Deepwater Horizon explode up the wellbore onto the deck and then catches fire. The explosion kills 11 platform workers and injures 17 others; another 98 people survive without serious physical injury.

May 10 – After failed containment dome BP announces plans to apply five feet in diameter containment vessel nicknamed "top hat".[54] BP announces strategy of trying to push mud and debris down the tube to clog it. The strategy is nicknamed "junk shot."

May 26 – BP announces plan to force feed heavy drilling mud in a project called "top kill".[71] Doug Brown, the chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon, testifies at the joint U.S. Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service hearing that a BP representative overruled Transocean employees and insisted on displacing protective drilling mud with seawater just hours before the explosion.

August 4 – BP reports that the well achieved “static condition” shortly after midnight after drilling mud is said to now fill the well.

en.wikipedia.org...

3 months trying to plug it. Hardly trying to make the well re usable. I think they established early on that either:

1. The well would not ever be usable again.
2. Because of the disaster, even if they capped it, they probably wouldn't be aloud by the government to use that well again.

Maybe next time; the bastards will Plug it.

Maybe next time Haliburton will do a proper cement job and Transocean will maintain there rig.

Those cited quotes were attempts at capping not plugging, golf balls and mud can be pumped back out however; cement cannot. It wasn't until Obama yelled at them to "Plug the damn hole!" that they did finally plug it, instead of continuing asinine cap attempts.

Interesting thread, thanks to the OP and the other people who posted here. I learned something from this thread.

I remember very vividly watching the tragedy unfold. The scope was a mystery and I suppose it still is in a way. It's hard to determine what the long-term effects might be fairly priced at. I agree with those in this thread that say fines should be imposed fairly and universally on companies that create this kind of problem. But assessing that in concrete terms seems almost impossible. What about a situation like TEPCO in Japan? The final scope of that is still undetermined. Will TEPCO be liable, say, fifty years from now if it turns out there has been a horrific long-term uptic in cancer? To what extent? How much of the damage can be chalked up to TEPCO and how much to simple uncontrollable disaster? Who assesses this, by what standards? I guess these are discussions that need to be had.

You guys reading about Macondo, BP, BAE, etc might like these articles:

Nucearnuttery.wordpress.com nuclearnuttery.wordpress.com...

FROM BAE TO BANDAR TO BUSH AND BACK! “Temporary Strain and Awkwardness” for “Temporary Bush” According to Kenneth L. Wainstein, Former Top Security Officer for Bush Ring — Two Senators Under Oath Claim Link Between 9/11 and SAUDI ARABIA. Were you following the BAE Systems Arms Dealing Suits and Pension Fund Looting Scandals?
Posted on March 2, 2012

Lockerbie Bombing, Pan Am Flight 103, the Mach Number, and the Elaborate Understanding of Gas Physics Needed in Order to Pull Off this Attack. The Engineering Rivals 9/11. ALSO: Looking at BP, Exxon, and other companies who MADE MONEY off of Gaddafi’s MURDER after blowing up a rig and killing most hands.
Posted on February 28, 2012

BP [Macondo!] Trial Start Date Coincident with Chardon Ohio High School Shooting. DID YOU KNOW that COLUMBINE SHOOTING WAS SAME DATE AS MACONDO EXPLOSION? April 20th, Hitler’s Birthday! Also, Columbine Shooter Harris was on medications proven to lower impulse control. Remember Xanax Chimp? Do doctors get a drug company kickback for “off label” psychiatric prescriptions? THIS SHOULD BE BANNED!
Posted on February 28, 2012

BP in Court over Macondo Tomorrow [Monday] – CNN. Question: Did BP Foul Up Nabucco Project? Also: Looking at AGENT ORANGE, because Corexit is similar — its purpose is removing the “fingerprints” of an oil spill to protect the responsible company from EPA prosecution.
Posted on February 26, 2012

HELL HATH NO FURY … From Titanic (To Ross Depedency) to Hindenburg to Torrey Canyon to Macondo — “Peacetime Maritime Disasters” Through History Covering for British Oil Company Evil. **BONUS** My Busiest Day on Nuclearnuttery Was the Day I Said BP/BAE Could Be Behind “ARAB SPRING” and 9/11. Record 300+ reads of Nabucco Article.
Posted on February 2, 2012

THE TERROR OF BIG OIL: BP Negligence/British Sabotage the Inspiration for ’69 Brussels “Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties”.
Posted on January 2, 2012

How Would Gulf of Mexico Seafloor Collapse Due to Macondo Well Leaks Affect the New Madrid Fault Scenario and Sea Level Predictions? Does Fracking and Frack-Earthquakes Make Diamond Mining Easier?
Posted on November 21, 2011

BONUS AT VERY BOTTOM: MY THEORY ON WHAT BROUGHT DOWN THE 3 BUILDINGS ON 9/11 **UPDATED** The Arab Spring/Nabucco, Arcelor-Mittal Steel’s “Loop” & Also “The Cloud” Sculptures at 2012 Olympics representative of two enormous emerging commodities. Special: A Closer Look At Nabucco Pipeline — Race to the Top: Fueling the Future, Fighting for a Foothold in the Middle East — the Transition from Oil Dependency to Natural Gas, and the Unseen Multinational Power Grab (While We Were Fixated Upon the BP-Macondo Sabotage in the Gulf of Mexico, Natural Gas Being Quietly Monopolized). Should we fear the impact on Russia and the economic effect that may have on arms dealing to our enemies in the future?
Posted on June 24, 2011

The British and Palestine — What do you know about the two of them together? What do you know about 1911 and 1977? =)
Posted on April 28, 2011